CYCLING

CYCLING; Kelly Trying to Recover Ground Lost to Injuries

By FRANK LITSKY,

Published: May 10, 1991

WILMINGTON, Del., May 9—
Sean Kelly was the first to admit he did not learn from his mistakes.

In March 1990, when two riders fell in front of him in a bicycle race, he sailed over the top and broke his right collarbone. In March 1991, two riders fell in front of him, he sailed over the top and, yes, he broke his right collarbone again.

"Not too smart," he said.

Kelly did not smile. He seldom smiles. He is a serious 34-year-old Irishman whose idea of a day off is to ride his bike for three hours.

For most of the 1980's, despite Greg LeMond's three victories in the Tour de France, Kelly was the world's leading rider. Of the seven races, mostly in France and Italy, recognized as classics, he has won six at least once. In the seventh classic, the Tour of Flanders, he has finished second three times. Out for 5 Weeks

Kelly is here to compete in America's major race, the Tour Du Pont. The 11-day, 1,100-mile stage race began tonight with a 3.1-mile time-trial prologue.

Kelly's latest broken collarbone came when he was trying to win the annual stage race from Paris to Nice for the eighth time. He lost five weeks of training and returned to competition only two weeks ago.

"So I don't think I can win," he said. "I'll be very surprised if I do."

LeMond, one of Kelly's main rivals here, disagreed.

"I need six months of racing and training to be at my very best," LeMond said. "Sean broke his collarbone, and I guarantee he will be a contender here. He needs only six weeks to be at his best."

Advancing age has hardly slowed Kelly. Five days after this race ends, he will turn 35. The only older rider of the 105 participants in the race is 36-year-old Gilbert Duclos-LaSalle of France.

If age is a negative, Kelly thrives on negatives. From March to early May, when many other riders are building strength, a healthy Kelly races and wins the classics. He has had great success in the Paris-Roubaix race, a seven-hour, 172-mile nightmare that includes a 29-mile stretch over cobblestones that break frames and shred specially reinforced tires.

The Tour Du Pont is his 17th race of the year. The previous ones were in France, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Italy, Spain, England and the Netherlands.

For all this, the world's top-ranked team, PDM of the Netherlands, pays him a salary of $800,000 a year, one of the highest in the sport.

SHIFTING GEARS

ERIK BREUKINK of the Netherlands and the Dutch team PDM won the time trial in 6 minutes 20.82 seconds. STEVE BAUER of Fenwick, Ontario, and the Motorola team finished second in 6:22.35. They are two of the overall favorites.

Photo: Greg LeMond on a practice run for the Tour Du Pont. The prologue to the 11-day race was held yesterday in Wilmington, Del. (Associated Press)